The ultimate key to attracting residents to your apartment complex is good advertisement, however promotion can often come with a steep price tag. Approximately 31% of real estate agents spend over $1,000 a year on online marketing efforts, and that does not include the additional $100 to $500 a month spent separately on both the upkeep of the company website and print advertising. Despite these daunting statistics, real estate firms shouldn’t be too discouraged, as there are several simple, cheap ways to promote an apartment complex without breaking the budget. At Gainesville, FL apartment company Trimark Properties, we have found numerous effective ways to promote our properties that are reasonably priced and simple to execute.
Below are the five most effective, inexpensive ways to advertise your apartment complex to potential renters:
- Utilize social media
There is a direct correlation between social media success and overall company success. Almost 46% of internet users rely on social media when making a purchase decision, and choosing an apartment is no exception. Create pages for both your company and your apartment complex on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, and encourage residents to follow and share these pages. Incorporating social media into your marketing campaign is so important and effective that companies who have over 1,000 Facebook likes receive almost 1,400 more daily website visits than those with less than 1,000 likes. Over 1,400 website views can lead to dozens of leases, demonstrating the power of social media in apartment advertising.
- Join apartment guides
Many apartment seekers begin their search by using an apartment guide, so it is a good idea to register your property for an online apartment directory in addition to advertising on social media. Adding your property to websites such as Zillow and Trulia allows potential residents to search for an apartment by price, location, and number of bedrooms, subsequently leading your target market straight to you.
- Apartment signs
Placing promotional signs in areas around your apartment complex is another successful way of campaigning. Be sure that these signs are crisp with large enough lettering to read. Adding a professional, attractive photo of your complex also catches the eye of those driving or walking past the sign. Furthermore, it can be helpful to emphasize the proximity of your property to popular sites nearby by adding a simple map to the sign, since location is one of the major deciding factors in choosing a place to live. For example, at Trimark Properties we target University of Florida students, so when advertising one of our popular apartments, Heritage Oaks Luxury Apartments, we include a photograph along with a map of the complex and surrounding areas to indicate how close it is to the UF campus.
- Give free handouts to residents
Another popular way to publicize your apartment complex is to give out free handouts to current residents with the name and logo of your company or property. It is relatively inexpensive to purchase cheap, wholesale items customized with your property’s name and information, and residents will often utilize these items, giving easy exposure to your complex. Popular examples include items such as t-shirts, tumblers, hats, and pens which incorporate the company’s logo. By giving residents goodies, not only will your company receive more publicity, but residents will be pleased after receiving free items, potentially leading to renewals or referrals.
- Partner with local companies
Ask popular businesses around the local vicinity if they would be interested in placing an advertisement for your apartment in their packaging or menus in exchange for including their information and coupons in resident move-in packets. This tactic works especially well for restaurants such as pizzerias, where advertisements can be placed directly on the pizza box.
What are some low-cost ways you use to advertise your apartments?
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